www.automobil.co.za
July 2023
NEWS
oyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has ap-
pointed Anton Falck, as Vice President of
Hino South Africa. Falck takes over from Er-
nie Trautmann, who has retired. Falck was original-
ly a student of Consumer Behaviour and Market-
ing, but since joining Toyota SA Motors in 1987, he
has done duty in several divisions of the company.
His previous experience includes area manage-
ment, marketing communications, vehicle sales,
dealer representation, overseeing Automark,
TSAM’s used vehicle franchise and more recently
running the Toyota Academy of Learning.
“I am honoured to have been granted this
rare opportunity to head up, what we believe to
be an important truck brand in South Africa and
to ensure that Hino makes a valuable contribu-
tion to the local economy,” said Falck.
“We are pleased to have successfully launched
the highly anticipated new Hino 700 last month.
This vehicle sets a new standards in its class,
boasting exceptional performance and outstand-
ing safety features at a highly competitive price.
The product has been well received and the initial
feedback from both our dealer network and cus-
tomers has been overwhelmingly positive.
“We are aggressively promoting the Hino 700
and anticipate that over the next few years, the
Hino 700 will help us establish a strong presence
in the extra-heavy segment, where we have not
played a significant role previously,” commented
Falck.
The Hino SA Vice President said the compa-
ny’s initial commercial market forecast for 2023
was around 31 500 units. However, after five
months of sales, it has become evident that the
market is larger than anticipated, with an impres-
sive growth rate of 11.6% over 2022. Taking this
into account, Hino SA expects the total commer-
cial vehicle market to range between 33 500 and
35 000 units in 2023.
Falck explained that Hino trucks, which have
been on South African roads for more than 50
years, have not only proved popular in terms
of sales volumes, but the dealer network of 65
dealers – 21 exclusive truck dealers and 44 dual
car and truck outlets – continues to provide
outstanding customer satisfaction. Hino was
once again ranked best overall in the 2023 Quar-
ter 1 DataTrack survey, in addition to achieving
the highest score in sales and service.
“The current market trends and our success-
es indicate a promising future for Hino in South
Africa. We are confident that our reliable trucks
and competitive pricing, coupled with our strong
dealer network and aftersales support efforts,
will position us favourably in the southern Afri-
can commercial vehicle market going forward,”
concluded Falck.
ontinental have launched their most sus-
tainable series tyre to date – the UltraCon-
tact NXT. With up to 65 percent renewable,
recycled and mass balance certified materials, it
combines a remarkably high share of sustain-
able materials with maximum safety and per-
formance. Continental is the first manufacturer
to launch a tyre with both a high share of sus-
tainable materials and maximum EU tyre-label
performance in volume production. All 19 sizes
available will carry the highest possible rating
(“A”) of the EU tyre label in rolling resistance, wet
braking, and exterior noise
Depending on its tyre size, the UltraContact
NXT is made from up to 65 percent renewable,
recycled and mass balance certified materials.
Renewable materials account for up to 32 per-
cent. The proportion of recyclable materials is
up to five percent. Furthermore, Continental
sourced an amount of up to 28 percent ISCC PLUS
mass balance approach certified materials from
bio, bio-circular and circular feedstock.
Renewable materials account for up to 32 per-
cent of the UltraContact NXT. This includes resins
based on residual materials from the paper and
wood industries. Used in tyres, resins allow highly
flexible compounds to improve the material’s grip.
The Ultra Contact NXT contains silicate from the
ash of rice husks. Rice husks are an agricultural
waste product which may be processed into sili-
ca through a new, less energy consuming process.
Silica helps to optimise characteristics such as grip,
rolling resistance and tyre life. As in every tyre,
natural rubber is a key material of the UltraCon-
tact NXT. It remains indispensable as it ensures the
highest tyre performance properties because of
its elevated level of strength and durability.
In addition, Continental is using recycled steel
in the UltraContact NXT. The innovative ContiRe.
Tex technology has also been adopted for the Ul-
traContact NXT. It generates high-performance
polyester fibres to reinforce the tyre carcass
through recycling PET bottles, which otherwise
would have ended up in incinerators or landfills.
With the ContiRe.Tex technology, Continen-
tal has developed a more energy-efficient and
eco-friendly alternative that allows it to recycle
between nine and fifteen plastic bottles for each
tyre, depending on the tyre size.
For the UltraContact NXT, Continental uses up
to 28 percent ISCC PLUS mass balance certified
materials. These are sustainable synthetic rubber
and carbon black made from biobased, bio-cir-
cular and/or circular feedstock. Synthetic rubber
is a performance-defining ingredient of modern
passenger car tyres, as its properties can be en-
gineered specifically for its application. Carbon
black is used in rubber compounds to optimise
stability, strength, and the durability of tyres. The
ISCC PLUS certified balance mechanism ensures
transparency and traceability throughout the
supply chain by tracking the origin and character-
istics of raw materials, verifying compliance with
sustainable criteria, and certifying the resulting
products.
Hino undergoes
management change
Continental launches tyre made
from renewable materials